Unsettling Toys: Did Anything Weird Happen During Our Chat? (Yes!)

Chappy from Unsettling Toys
Who startled who more? Did Chappy startle me or vice versa?

A couple weeks back I spotted a story in my Google Alerts from Willamette Week: “Got a Creepy Old Toy You Need Exorcised From Your House? This Portland Business Will Take It off Your Hands—and Find It a More Loving Home.”

Unsettling Toys mostly started as a goof. But it didn’t take long for the public to take it seriously.

The second I saw that I felt like it was the Universe answering a prayer.

You see, I knew National Doll Day was coming. If I’ve done its listing right on the Weird Holidays & Observances page, it’s observed on the first Sunday in August, which falls on Sunday, August 2 this year.

I initially thought I might like to do a Facebook Live Terror Tryst with someone. Maybe with my friend Kevin Cain, who is a haunted doll collector. I was on the brink of asking him when I saw the article about Brian and Sara and their Unsettling Toy Removal and Rehoming.

I instantly went in search of contact info and zapped them an email to ask not only if they’d like to chat about Unsettling Toys with me for Haunt Jaunts, but also if they’d like to do a show with my A Haunt Mess co-hosts and myself.

They said yes to both! (We’ll record for A Haunt Mess on August 17, so their episode should drop on August 25.)

For now, here are some of the weird things that happened –or seemed to from these snapshots– during our chat.

Doll Photo Bomb

Um, excuse me? Does that doll always peek over your shoulder?

 

Unsettling Toys doll photo bomb 2
Yep, she’s leaning in –with a little help from Sara’s daughter!

I’m not saying a doll did photobomb the recording –but I’m not saying one didn’t either.

Oh, okay, I’ll come clean. These snapshots only make it appear that way. Creepy fun though, right?

Winston the Leather Lion

Unsettling Toys Winston the Leather Lion
My first reaction to meeting Winston the Leather Lion is a very genuine one –of terror!
Unsettling Toys Winston the Leather Lion side shot
And who knows what this face is (either mine or Winston’s) but it made me laugh so I figured I’d share in case it makes anyone else laugh too.

“What is that thing?” was my first thought when they introduced me to Winston. Then I realized it’s a lion and they informed me it was crafted out of leather. (Which, if I was vegan, may explain that second face.)

Side Eye Sally

Unsettling Toys creepy antique balding doll

Okay, this doll’s name really isn’t Side Eye Sally. I’m just calling her that, because during the chat Sara pointed out the doll had some serious “side eye” going on.

That cracked me up, because (a) I’ve never heard that term before, and (b) it added some levity because of all the toys they shared with me, this one unsettled me the most. (Don’t let my Winston the Leather Lion face fool you.)

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But also, she reminded me of a girl from one of my favorite Gifs. See if you see any resemblance too:

suspicious little girl with blond hair and buck teeth

Little girl smiling and then looking out of the window with a side eye

Do you see it?

The Sweet Doll

Unsettling Toys sweet rosy cheek baby doll in pink dress and bonnet
There’s nothing wrong with this doll. She’s pure sweetness and light.

Not all of their toys or dolls are creepy. Some have good energy too. Some people are specifically looking for those toys too, and some find goodness and happiness unsettling so…Sara and Brian deal with all sides of the spectrum!

Why’s That One in a Garbage Bag?

Unsettling Toys doll wrapped in a black plastic garbage bag
You know shit just got real when a garbage bag is involved.

I didn’t know what to think when they pulled out a doll wrapped in a garbage bag. Well, except for, “This must be some hideously creepy doll.”

Was it? I’m not telling. To find out, you’ll have to listen to or watch the episode.

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Visit: https://unsettlingtoys.com/

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4 Comments

  1. Interesting video. I didn’t know there was a doll disease! Happy National Doll Day!

  2. Hi – thought I’d share a ‘scary toy’ story. In the first decade of the 2000s, when my son was a toddler and when the movie ‘Cars’ was popular, we had a little mini “Cars” movie Fisher Price spiral race track (You can see what it looked like here https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/disney-pixar-cars-spiral-speedway/1015139048). It included batteries. A red car (Lightening McQueen) and a blue car (Sally) would race down their own track when the lever was pressed manually. When the cars were released, there was a ‘trigger’ of some kind somewhere on the track in which you would hear Lightening McQueen say “Speed. I am Speed” or another saying (can’t remember what it was.) My son played endlessly with it and and it sat in next to a toy box (or sometimes in the toy box) in our TV room.

    A few years after he got the toy, we noticed that the toy started going off on its own – completely randomly, when no one was near the toy box and when nothing could possibly jostle or move the track to make it talk. For example, I’d be in the TV room watching TV late at night, long after my son was in bed and suddenly I’d hear the toy say “Speed. I am Speed.” My initial reaction was “well – there must be a loose wire or something in the toy that is making it go off.” But, I couldn’t figure was was triggering it, since the toy might be sitting on the floor undisturbed, with no movement in the area whatsoever. Now, this is when the original Ghost Hunters show was first airing and I loved to watch it. And, I remember that during investigations they would often experience flashlights going on or off seemingly on their own, and you’d often hear Jason or Grant say: “If that was you, can you do that again?” (e.g. make the flashlight go on and off.) So one night I decided to try this with the Lightening McQueen race track. It was late and I was sitting in the TV room (which was on the bottom level or our townhome. The kids and my husband were asleep on the 3rd level). I heard the track start to go off. So I said to it “If someone else is here with me, can you make that toy go off again.” And, suddenly I heard – right on queue “Speed. I am Speed.” Well, needless to say, I was sufficiently scared. I think I said “thank you” and hightailed it upstairs to bed!

    We don’t have the track anymore. We got rid of it during a toy purge as our youngest son grew older. But it was a strange enough experience that I do seriously wonder if something ‘unknown’ was manipulating or playing with that race track!

  3. Author

    Hey! Thanks for watching! (I didn’t know there was a doll disease either. Crazy!)

  4. Author

    Oh wow! Maybe it was the ghost of a race car driver or something? That is crazy. Loved your story. Thanks for taking the time to share it!

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